Articles
Transportation
3PLs & Shippers: In It For the Long Haul
Shippers choose third-party logistics (3PL) providers for myriad reasons. 3PLs provide infrastructure and up-to-date technology solutions that shippers may not have or be able to afford to invest in. They provide consistent, reliable service that shippers can pass on to customers. They stay updated with the latest regulations and best practices. They can scale up […]
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Fleets Don’t Fail Me Now
The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Russia/CIS and Eastern Europe was 4.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2016, according to a new report from analyst firm Berg Insight (see chart, right). Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5 percent, this number is expected to […]
Read MorePeak Season Piques Airfreight Demand
Global air freight is on track to achieve its strongest operational and financial performance since the post-global financial crisis rebound in 2010. Demand measured in freight ton kilometers (FTKs) rose in November 2017 by 8.8 percent over 2016 totals, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). While the 2010 gains lasted for about one […]
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Top 8 Logistics Challenges Facing the Industry – DDC FPO
These days you have more challenges than just trying to keep trucks full; you have your hands full of business process needs that can often feel like too much to handle. According to a third-party logistics study by Capgemini, "cutting transportation costs" makes the top of the list as far as concerns for the logistics […]
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Lease Me a Loan: Transport Financing on the Upswing
Today more businesses rely on leases, loans, and equipment lines of credit to finance increased spending on new equipment. Businesses have increased their capital equipment spending for the seventh consecutive year, with overall new business volume growing by 2.5 percent, according to a recent Equipment Leasing and Finance Association (ELFA) study. The equipment-financing sector outperformed […]
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Top 3 Supply Chain Check-ups Provide Cost Savings – A.N. Deringer, Inc.
At the onset of overseas procurement, logistics professionals focus on supply chain strategy. Finding the right supplier, defining sales terms, determining the best transportation solution and speed to market mean sourcing start-up can be time intensive. When the goods finally arrive at the consignee, many supply chain professionals relax a little knowing that leg of […]
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Maximizing Deliveries While Driving Down Transportation Costs – Transplace
Transplace established an LTL consolidation program to increase load capacity and reduce freight costs for a Canadian hardware wholesaler.
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Multi-Stop Steps
If you suspect that carriers reject multi-stop truckloads more often than single-stop loads, you’re only partially right. While carriers dislike specific factors about multi-stop, you can employ some strategies to make multi-stop freight more attractive to carriers and better control your costs. Here are four ways shippers can reduce rates and increase acceptance of multi-stop […]
Read MoreTracking Trucking
Data scientists at fleet management solutions provider Omnitracs recently conducted some research into what the trucking industry looked like in 2016 vs. 2017. The main findings revolved around Hours of Service (HOS) and Key Performance Indicator (KPI) metrics. HOS takeaways, based on data from January to October for 2016 and 2017 Drivers on average drove […]
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Three Transportation Innovations that Can Deliver Short-Term ROI
Managing transportation has become increasingly challenging as customers grow more demanding and the driver shortage constrains capacity. Innovations such as driverless vehicles loom as potential solutions, but have yet to reach commercial viability. That doesn’t mean transportation managers are forced to deal with process inefficiencies and data siloes while they wait for new technologies to […]
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Why Adherence to SQF Requirements Is Crucial to Supply Chain Integrity
In early 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) finalized the Safe Quality Food (SQF) rule as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The rule was created to help prevent both intentional and unintentional contamination of the food supply chain from farm to fork. The rule requires those transporting food by motor […]
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Santa’s Highly Inefficient Christmas Journey
Christmas, Inc. has a problem. And the blame rests squarely on the ample lap of its Chief Everything Officer, Santa himself. By failing to implement automated routing and scheduling software for his yearly 75-million-mile Christmas journey, we estimate Santa is adding 15 million excess miles and 5 extra hours to his 24-hour trip. We know […]
Read MoreOptimizing Route Planning to Cut Costs
With consumers expecting more delivery options and the return of rising fuel prices, supply chain managers are finding ways to run leaner. For instance, ensuring transportation operations are making the most efficient use of vehicles, fuel, and drivers is a high priority. William Salter, CEO and president of Paragon Software Systems, offers these route planning […]
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The Need for Speed in Automated Truck Policy – WSI
I recently read that in the 1970s, Congress held hearings and engaged in serious discussions about whether or not a personal computer could be trusted not to read the brainwaves of its users. This is a fine example of how those responsible for regulating technology tend to trip over what they don’t understand. That’s why […]
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How to Navigate the Driver Shortage
The industry’s driver shortage is no secret. About 100,000 seats need to be filled at a time when the pipeline for new drivers is getting thinner. But what’s the practical impact on shippers as this shortage gets worse? In short, it won’t be pretty. Tighter capacity will lead to fewer choices. Regulations mandating the use […]
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Assessing U.S. Shipments and Spend
A tighter truck market, increase in national shipments, and accelerated factory output are among the highlights of the Q3 2017 U.S. Bank Freight Payment Index, which measures quantitative changes in shipment and spend activity (see chart) based on data from transactions the company processes. Highlights include: An 8.3-percent jump in U.S. Bank’s national spend index, […]
Read MoreA Resurgence in Trucking Investments Presents Opportunities for Shippers
Economic indicators and data reports suggest the economy is strengthening, which should continue to promote business confidence through the remainder of 2017. The second quarter 2017 U.S. GDP report indicated that expenditures grew by 3.3 percent, led by an 8.9-percent gain in durable goods spending. With increasing expenditures for durable and non-durable goods, manufacturers, retailers, […]
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Transportation Trends: Turn up the Air
The airfreight market has been flying high, but headwinds persist.
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H.O.W. | How to Manage Your Carrier Relationships After the ELD Mandate
As the mid-December deadline approaches for the implementation of the Electronic Logging Device (ELD) mandate for most commercial truck drivers, shippers are, not surprisingly, worried about how it will affect their supply chain capacity. MORE TO THE STORY: 4 ways to manage capacity post-eld Under Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rules, most trucks built after […]
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API Trumps EDI. Here’s Why. – Freightgate
Q: Why invest in an API solution? The transportation industry is changing and it’s changing fast. There are new players in the market like Uber Freight and they have a head start with their digitalization strategy. Offering a cheap and reliable service will not be enough when all of your competitors have moved forward. Many […]
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